Flesh and Bone
by Cecily Rose Midnight
Summary: The prince of Hyrule has been avoiding getting married for a while now- he'd rather be alone, or at least visit a brothel. But, now that he's eighteen, the leader of the Gerudo tribe has been asking for his hand because it would create peace between them. Though, he'd rather not. What happens when that prince is forced to find a wife before his deadline? -Classic gender bender-
1. Ch 1: Obscure Affection

**So, I met this person on here, who called me Miss Midnight (I squealed like a little girl at that!), and they were so nice, that I just had to dedicate this story to them! So, here you go Ethereal780! To clear this up, I actually didn't write this in the sole intention for you, but I thought it'd be a nice surprise! :D So, here you go! Enjoy the read!**

* * *

The sun shone through the castle's stain glass windows, casting multicolored pictures upon the stone floor. The throne room was wide, but not filled with many objects; a table to the side, a knick knack here or there. A few tapestries adorned the walls in the hopes of brightening the room, displaying the legendary Hero doing courageous acts for the sake of Hyrule, the three goddesses creating the Triforce, or the Master Sword shining with holy power. But these tapestries didn't take away the fact that the walls were stone, the floors were stone, or even that the throne itself was stone; the room felt as blank as a sheet of paper.

A boy of eighteen sat on the throne, his head planted firmly into the palm of his hand, a sure sign of boredom. His eyes were closed as if he was tired, but if he opened them, a clear sky blue color would stare anyone down. Brunette hair was a mess on the top of his head, possible remnants of a bedroom event; and rumpled clothes gave him a disheveled appearance. A sigh escaped his lips as he stared at the throne room's doors. A quiet silence surrounded him, like he was waiting for something- maybe a person, or maybe an answer. "What am I doing with my life?" He quietly asked himself, and sank deeper into his solitude.

Those tall and heavy throne room doors opened, and light poured into the stone room. Light brought a small relief, and peace had finally seemed to settle in the room, but that was not so. In the direct light, the person who had opened the door only looked like a silhouette. This embodiment of darkness slipped into the room, silently and swiftly, without as much as a sound. They knelt before the boy in the throne, and then looked at him. The two doors behind them shut, and the boy could finally see this mysterious person's face clearly.

It was a woman. She had long red pigtails held up in black ribbons, like a child, but she was not. An orange circlet glowed against her dark tan, not quite brown but dark, and shined against her red eyes, which seemed to cry black lightening, but it was only traditional make-up that covered her cheeks. On her shoulders she bore black spiked armor that matched her boots. Underneath her armor she wore a brown leather corset with brown cotton pants. Covering her wrists and ankles were traditional Gerudo guards. Around her waist was a brown leather belt which held her sword and dagger, and tied to the belt was a traditional Gerudo scarf covered in designs. Her looks were fitting for the female leader of the Gerudo tribe. With a swift movement of the legs, she stood before him, and her stare was cool even though her eyes were like fire.

"My lord," she said, and bowed her head.

"Welcome my guest," the boy said as he stood up, and held out his hand, which the woman met with a tight grip. "What have you come for this time?"

"Your hand my lord," she said, and bowed her head. Though she was not one to admit it, the look on her face was one of affection; it was not hard to tell she was smitten.

"Not this again!" The boy exclaimed, and turned away in exasperation. Clearly he didn't hold the same feelings and thoughts.

"You know as well as I do that both of our lands and people are at war with each other!" The woman said in an angered, yet controlled tone. "If we came together, joined hands in matrimony, we could bring peace about the land!" She said, and defended her suggestion.

"Ganondriel…" the boy began to say, in almost a demanding tone, but she ignored him.

"Please take my hand in marriage!" She said, and blushed, holding out her hand. She was so good, so kind, but the spoiled prince was blind.

"No! I refuse!" He said, and slapped her hand away. With that sudden movement, every kind act and word was torn down- an alliance broken because of this emotion we call love.

"Why do you always, always refuse me, Zeldin?! Am I not good enough for you?" Ganondriel cried. "Am I not _beautiful_ enough for you?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I am not a beast. I do care about more things than just beauty, and yet I see none of it here. All I see is the leader of a filthy and uncivilized people." Zeldin said, quite harshly, and turned away once more. This kind of comment was such an insult to Ganondriel; her sadness was replaced with pure anger.

"You… You insult me and my people?! For this, you must die!" She said, and threw down one of her Gerudo wrist guards, symbolizing that the two must duel.

Luckily for Zeldin, the throne room's doors had opened once more, only to reveal a taller silhouette. Though no one could see this shadow's face, their presence was much more noticeable, and the way they held themselves was only seen in one person: the king, Rorian.

"Zeldin, I hope you took Ganondriel's proposal well." He said, and the nervousness on Zeldin's face grew and grew. When the King had finally stood between the two, he had noticed the Gerudo wrist guard on the floor, and his seemingly happy aura had faded. "I see… so you did not," he said, and took a deep breath, his chest rising with the movement of his lungs.

"Father, I cannot marry her!" Zeldin said.

"Silence! I cannot have this. I want the two of our people to be at peace," Rorian said, and Ganondriel calmed down. She nodded with him for a moment, but still her anger had not fully subsided.

"Father, I will make you a deal!" Zeldin said, and Rorian raised his eyebrow, "if I cannot find myself a wife, I will marry Ganondriel." He said, and Ganondriel placed her hands on her hips.

"Unacceptable. Either he chooses me, or our people will always be divided," she said, and Rorian turned to his son.

"I give you 3 months," Rorian said, and winked at his son, letting out his true fatherly side, but then crushing it underneath the part of him that was king. "By the end of the three months, I expect to see a wife."

"Thank you Father!" Zeldin said, and ran out of the throne room. Once he was gone, Ganondriel pulled out her dagger and threw Rorian against the wall, pressing the sharp knife to Rorian's throat.

"We had a deal!" Ganondriel said, and pressed the dagger even harder onto his bare skin. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now!"

"He'll never find a wife," Rorian said. "I'll make sure of it." He said, but Ganondriel still held the knife at his throat.

"How? For him, girls come a plenty," she said, and looked at him in the eyes.

"Sabotage." Rorian said, and smiled. Ganondriel pulled the dagger away, just slightly. She had a look of anger and disgust on her face.

"In my race, this is one the most deplorable things- but I will let it pass since it is for the good of the people." Ganondriel said, and put her dagger away.

Rorian held out his hand, which Ganondriel took. "Congrats to the bride."

* * *

**So... hi! Don't ask why I wrote a gender-bender, I just did! It actually was a lot of fun- even though its a typical plotline and done so many times, I still loved the fact that its a bit cliche.**

**I guess I'm going to have to clear things up. The whole world is not switched, only some main characters will be. So basically Ganondorf, Zelda, Link, and some other characters genders will be switched.**

**I'll give a run down on the names (is that the right phrase?) that have been stated:**

**Ganondriel****: Obviously the female version of Ganondorf. Pronounced as: gan-un-dry-el. Based off of the elf from Lord of the Rings, Galadriel.**

**Zeldin****: Male version of Zelda (he's super cute!). His named is based off Eldin bridge from Twilight Princess and Eldin Volcano from Skyward Sword. Pronounced as: zel-din.**

**Rorian:**** So, this name was based off the name Rory. It has no reference whatsoever (unless you want it to be based off of Rory from Doctor Who, but he's nothing like Rory.) I just wanted it to sound regal, and I didn't want to use the King's name from Wind Waker (can't remember it, but I know there's a name).**

**Well, in the next chapter (whenever that will be!), Link's female version will be introduced. :D I haven't fully decided on her name yet, so I can't tell you!**

**If you guys have any ideas for this story, that you would be willing to give away (I don't want to ask too much!), they would be greatly appreciated. But, don't feel like you have to, I'm sure I can pump out some ideas from this noggin. Lol.**

**Sorry for the long talk. See ya later alligators! - Cecily**


	2. Ch 2: The Wolves Are Out To Hunt

For the next three months, Zeldin raced across Hyrule in search of a bride. Though there were many suitors that matched the title of princess, there were none that matched the title of 'bride'. After scouring Kakariko Village, Lon Lon Ranch, Lake Hylia, and the vast stretches of the Hylian kingdom, he found no love, no spark. Hope for finding some wild eyed girl, hope for this whirlwind adventure all seemed to come crashing down, and so did the child that was still inside his throat. And so, like a child, he ran from his problems. The very last day, late at night, Zeldin slipped on his cloak, underneath leaving a column of scars on his wrists covered by thick woolen gloves, and a hidden fear in his eyes. With rope stolen from the supply room of the castle, he tied the rope to a cast iron candle holder, which was lit, in the hopes that the fire would catch onto a tapestry, and set the whole castle on fire, leaving a shattered kingdom in its ruins.

And then, he climbed down the rope, landing swiftly and softly on the roof, so he had to scale the wooden bridge that was the top of the room. Then, he slid through the window beneath him, leading into a hallway, and opened the servant's doorway, which was to his right. From there, he ran down the creaky wooden stairs with precise knowledge of where the creaks originated, and avoided making a sound. After that, he opened the door to the maid's dormitory, slipping past the sleeping women, though normally he'd awaken one of them, and take them underneath the full moon like a legendary werewolf, but tonight his mind was far from humanly urges. With his thumb pressed onto the door knob, and the other hand curling around the edge of the door, he silently slipped through, into the kitchen.

Here, he grabbed a leather pouch that was always hung on the hooks in the wall. Yes, he had studied his escape plan vigorously in these three months, in case he had not found someone young girl to marry in his 'sabbatical'. With this leather pouch, he filled with food, red apples possibly filled with poison, the meat of a bovine to keep his wits about him, and various vegetables to give him the strength of the men in the royal guard. Then, he picked up two other pouches, filled one with water, and the other with oats. Afterwards, he snuck down to the armory, swiping a bow and a quiver of arrows, some throwing knives, and leather armor, in case he needed it. A bearer of wisdom will always keep in mind the future, though he may know not of his thrice pointed destiny.

In the dead of night, he stole into the castles barn, and rode out on a gallant mare, named after another culture's horse goddess: Epona. With the winds of fate at their backsides, they raced to the castles gates. Zeldin shot the guards, quickly and silently, put out the flames of their torches without the water he had collected from the kitchens, leaving behind a horrific scene that reeked of the dying hopes of fathers and grandfathers. In a matter of minutes, he had reached a well in a side path of castle town, filled up his leather pouch once more, and took a small sip. The clear and cool water cleared Zeldin's mind of the deaths that he had just caused. Sometimes, certain precautions must be taken to gain one's freedom.

Then, he took out a throwing knife, and pulled away a stone near the base of the well. Inside this small hidden hovel, he had stashed a purse of a few coins; underneath a rose bush, buried in the dirt, he hid another; next he checked the drain pipe attached to the house of the poor Gringer family; one he found tied to the highest branch of a Bradford pear tree; and another he found hidden inside an abandoned birds nest- well, what he had thought was abandoned, until he found the sky blue eggs of a robin bird, and he quickly left the scene afterwards.

The stars above him were quickly moving towards the west, and the sun would soon rise from the east, o'er the hill that marked the beginning of Hyrule field. If he didn't act soon, his well thought out plan would all fall to naught. With a quick turn, he quickly stepped down a valley, finding a small pit fire glowing and a group of men quietly waiting for him.

"Have you got the money?" One of them asked, the shadows on his face moving with every word he spoke.

"Yes," Zeldin replied, his voice raspy from anxiety and a lack of sleep, and the men stood up, with weapons attacked to their waists or thrown over their shoulders. The leader of their group, who had greasy hair and sunken in cheeks took the bags, emptied them into his hands, bit a coin to check its validity, and smiled.

"Come on men, we have work to do." The leader said, and the men followed him, leaving Zeldin behind. Of course, none of them really knew what was going to happen to them, but since money controls their sad little worlds, they'll do nearly anything to even get a glimpse of one of those silver coins.

They crowded at castle town's gates, and every one of them took out the necessary guards that need to die to let his plan work. Of course, this alarmed many of the guards, and they shouted quite loudly for one to ring the warning bell, and it sounded not too long afterwards. One man stabbed a guard in the neck, the blood gushing out like the running waters of a river, another used a rock tied to a stick to bash in the skull of a guard, crushing his bone to dust and stabbing his brain for an unfortunately slow, but painful death. The guards used their spears to stab into the hearts of the unfortunate souls that would meet the ends of these long weapons. But, Zeldin's plan had worked, the gates of castle town were opened, and Zeldin road his beloved friend out of castle town and into the loving arms of freedom.

Zeldin didn't plan on feeling the regret of taking another's life later that night, when he tried to sleep. He didn't plan to regret paying another to walk into their deaths. Certainly he didn't plan on regretting escaping the way he did, because when he looked back for the first time, he saw the castle ablaze and still he could hear the screams and shouts of dying men even hours after their death. Later that night, he pondered the price of freedom, and whether it was worth it. Months after that thought, he found his answer, and his answer was not exactly the traditional type of answer.

In one of the corners of Hyrule field was a growing village, Rose Shire. It had only a few houses and stores, but soon it could be a bustling city, but it would forever start out as the rural, back-water town it was now. The flames of candles in her neighbors houses had long since been blown out, but the stars guarded her way at night, not the glow of windows she passed. Tears streaked her cheeks and stars gleamed in her eyes as sticky blood ran down her pale legs like dried up rivers, and if anyone saw her, they'd see a messy haired girl with one boot missing and a ripped green dress, but some would not believe such acts could happen in such a kind town. A blood stained hook was in her right hand, drip, drip, dripping with the liquid life of another, now spilled across the hollow ground, an uncaring ground that does not reward anyone's acts which are less than respectable.

And so dark starry skies still continued to shine as the hopeful gleam in her eyes continued to grow with the sounds of her taking in a breath and exhaling out the words '_I'm alive_'. Why she said '_I'm alive'_, she'll never understand, because what she should have said was '_I'm pure_', but deep down she's not pure anymore, that blood stained hook proves that in the end she's killed a man, one she knew, one she was friends with. He betrayed her, and now she'll constantly be reminded of what he may have thought while her back was turned to him, whether or not he licked his lips like a wild animal about to feast or if he stared at the bones that protruded the skin of her back when she bent down to pick up a stray item that someone had lost. She'll always question whether or not he allowed his most useful hand to roam over the lower part of his body while he thought of her. And she'll never know whether or not he really cared for her, or if she was just some toy, if their friendship really mattered or if it was all built on lies.

The moon was now howling at her, growling and screaming, tearing her soul limb from limb like a wolf. And so now it was time to let her body become part of the wolves, those creatures that crawled out of the ground at night would feast upon her flesh, and maybe, just maybe, her only witness, the moon would forgive her. Judgment on her soul may prove to be positive. So out she walked, from the safety of her village, from the love and safety of her grandfather's arms, and her younger brother would have to grow without her love and guidance.

She walked up the hill, o'er that westward hill, to catch a glimpse of the castle one more time; because it belonged to the country she loved so much. That castle meant more to her than just her country though, all of her dreams were in the king's hands. The very next day, she was planning on attempting to join the royal guards, as the first woman to join them ever. But, now all her dreams shattered, and that lovely image of a fairytale castle was literally burning down.

The sound of a horse running tickled her ear drum, and when she turned around to look, she found a man on a stallion staring down at her, the moon behind him, casting shadows on his cloak, and his face was impossible to see.

"Get on," he said, surprising the girl because the two of them were complete strangers, but somehow she found herself climbing on, which made the pain in her groin shoot down her legs and up to her head, and from this simple, but painful motion, she clutched the man around his waist tighter than a baby holding onto its mothers finger, and the man kicked the horses sides to get her on. "What's your name?" He asked, and the girl looked up at him, with bright sky blue eyes, like blue artic ice, and responded in a weak voice.

"I'm Lisa."

* * *

OOOOOOOH. I'm back.

So, I have to admit, I'm so frigging proud of this chapter. Usually, my chapters are dialogue driven, which believe me when I say is hard to get out because dialogue is so straightforward, it's extremely easy to write. But, as you can see, this one is far from being dialogue driven.

Man, its hard being a senior in high school and trying to update chapters. :p School is almost out, which means more writing for me! :D

Anyhoot, feel free to drop a wild comment in that little box down there, I'll catch it faster than a pokemon. :


	3. Ch 3: Purity Escapes the Flesh and Bone

Sorry for the title change!

* * *

The fire crackled as Zeldin added in more stray wood he had gathered from the ground. He had let Epona graze in the untamed grasses next to Lake Hylia, no monsters were around to hurt her, and Epona was a horse that no one would mess with. She was fierce, untamed, a wild mare that choose its masters, not the other way around. Even Zeldin had a hard time getting her to trust him, and the only other person of whom she trusted was Malone, the boy at Lon Lon Ranch who eventually had to sell Epona to the royal army in order to keep his Mother, Tallione, and his deceased father's farm alive.

But what seemed to keep his attention wasn't the swift horse drinking out of the lake in front of him, no, it was the shy young girl across from him. She was staring into the flames intently, not saying a single word, and the flames danced like stars in her eyes. Her clothes were slightly ripped, mostly around her chest, and Zeldin knew exactly what that meant for her. The silence between them spoke volumes, the bruises on her wrists wrote novels on her skin, and the red suckle marks on her neck drew images of non-consented actions, which the dried blood trail down her legs only seemed to prove Zeldin's suspicions right.

"Mmm…" Zeldin cleared his throat, and the girl's, Lisa's, head shot up like a man's would when he was underwater and out of breath. "Are you… ahem… alright?" He asked, mentally kicking himself and wishing that he had thought of something better to say, but Lisa disregarded the question and went back to her own thoughts, mindlessly lowing her head back to the blazing gold heat that separated them. Zeldin could have contently gone back to the silence, laying down onto the sun warmed Earth, but the shaking of Lisa's shoulders and legs prevented him from laying his own head down to rest. "Hey…" He said, trying to get her attention, except this only seemed to make things worse, for Lisa only buried her head into her knees, and rocked back and forth until it seemed unsafe, because in front of her was a fire, and behind her was a hill that lead straight into a rocky region of water.

Zeldin crawled himself over to her side, and like any man should, he took her by the shoulders, and pulled her into his chest. For some reason, he felt a tie to this girl. He had never met her before, and surely if he had, he would have married her in a heartbeat, successfully getting rid of that blasted Ganondriel once and for all. But he didn't. And now he was left to wonder if maybe this was fate- that some lucky star decided to bring them together in the time they both most needed each other. Zeldin thanked his lucky star, for the girl shaking in arms was now starting to steady her breaths and calm her mind.

"Thank you…" she said, with a sigh, and Zeldin sighed as well, for every moment of this embrace felt right. But as soon as everything felt right, Zeldin had to look at the girl beneath his chin, and decide that she needed to be taken care of. He pulled away to get to his back and pulled out a handkerchief and a cheap rag. The handkerchief was for Lisa to dry her eyes, a proper gentleman should always carry one with him- though some of Zeldin's actions are far from respectable, there is always a way one should act and carry oneself. Zeldin doused the cheap rag in water he had gotten from the castle when he left, and applied the rag to the dried blood that ran down her legs.

"You know, they say that sometimes Zora's inhabit this lake," Zeldin said, starting conversation as he cleaned the blood off of her. She didn't seem to mind him cleaning her calves, but he was afraid that once he started to clean her thighs, she might get a little antsy. "I know that Zora's aren't exactly mystical creatures, I mean, they are sentient beings just like us, but how many times does the average Hylian even see a Zora?"

"They come to trade in my village all the time." She said, promptly shutting Zeldin up.

"Well, I don't see any…" Zeldin said, and the farther he moved up her legs the more she started to squirm.  
"Don't you live in a castle though?" Lisa asked, and Zeldin stopped wiping.

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"Please, I've seen you walk through my village searching for a bride many times, as if new girls grew out of the ground or sprung up out of thin air," She said, and started to pull away, but Zeldin grabbed her right leg and began to move up her pale skin with the coarse rag once again, making Lisa pull up her face in a small disgusted look.

"So, why haven't I seen you?" Zeldin asked, he was now to her thighs, creating a very uncomfortable feeling within Lisa.

"I've been… busy," she said, and pulled down on her ripped dress.

"With the guy who did this to you?" Zeldin asked, knowing full well he was walking into enemy territory. Lisa slowly nodded her head, and Zeldin grimaced. "More than once?"

"Not like this…" She said slowly, and recalled all of the times he's pulled her behind his house, the large willow tree in the meadow, even in the pond once. And he'd always say 'this won't take long,' and then he'd push her down, and the back of her neck was always met with the edge of a knife.

"Was he your friend?" The concerned prince asked, and little green riding hood nodded.

Lisa swallowed down a whimper, and nodded. "At first he was," she said, looking at Zeldin directly in the eyes. "But now… he's far from it."

"I can imagine." Zeldin said, now reaching the edge of her skirt. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I didn't have anyone to tell…" She said, and pulled at her skirt again, pushing Zeldin's hand away. "I think I can wash myself from here…" She said, and Zeldin shook his head, handing her the rag. "I'll do it later." She said, and hugged her legs again. "So you," she said, "why exactly is royalty down here, staying with the most pathetic of beings?"

"I burned down the castle." Zeldin said quickly, and Lisa gasped.

"You did it?!" She asked loudly, even Epona pulled her head up to see what had made such a sound, and Lisa lowered her voice to a whisper. "Why?"

"I have my reasons." Zeldin said. "I was going to marry a Gerudo, one who I despise with every fiber of my being, so our two cultures could be at peace with each other. But I couldn't do it. So my father gave me three months to find another bride. But obviously, I didn't. So I burned down the castle on the last day and fled."

"Wow…" Lisa said, and Zeldin laid his head on the ground, looking at the stars, which were slowly fading because morning was very slowly working its way to Hyrule.

"Three months ago, I had such high hopes for life. I thought, 'hey, I'll be married by then with the girl I love' but that chick fell out of the birds nest, huh?" Zeldin said.

"Three months ago I was pure," she said, and Zeldin looked at her.

"Pure?" He asked, and Lisa laid right next to him.

"Orion's belt," she said, and pointed. Zeldin made a small 'ah' noise acknowledging her 'astronomical prowess', but it was clear his last statement still stood. "I was clean. Never touched." She said, and sighed. "Now I'm dirty. I'm not pure," she said, and Zeldin scrunched his eyebrows.

"If that's what you call pure, I lost that a long time ago." Zeldin said, and Lisa looked at him. "It's not the dark times anymore, we've moved onto a new social paradigm in this age. Being pure is within your soul, purity escapes the flesh and bone. If you are good, then you are pure. And from what I've seen, and though I've never known you before now, I think you're pretty good."

"What if I told you that I killed him?" Lisa asked.

Zeldin shrugged. "That kind of self-defense took courage. You brought a man to justice. How many woman can say they've done that? Not many," he said, now looking back up at the sky. "That must have taken a lot of courage."

"How can you justify taking a life? You make it seem so easy." She asked. "Shouldn't I be punished, like, go to a place of eternal suffering after death, or go to jail the rest of my life?"

"The way I see it, he did you wrong. He just got what was coming to him." Zeldin said.

"I still think I should rot for the rest of my life." She said.

"Nah, you have the prince's pardon, it ain't gonna happen. I won't let it." Zeldin said, smiling.

"I've never met anyone like you before Zeldin." Lisa said.

"Meh, you're like a lot of girls I know." Zeldin said, and then winked at Lisa, who looked at him slack-jawed and wide eyed. "I'm kidding! Geez, it was a joke." Zeldin said, placing his hand on his face, which seemed to change his facial expression and tone of voice. "You really are extraordinary though, not many girls can defend for themselves."

"Thank you…" Lisa said, now blushing. "Too bad you aren't looking for a bride anymore. Any girl'd be lucky to have you."

"You know, despite the fact that I'm not exactly living in the castle anymore, I'm still looking." Zeldin said, looking directly at her.

"O-oh, I wasn't trying to… uh…. Um…" she stuttered, and Zeldin leaned over and kissed her. And she kissed back, but then she pulled away. "I like you, I really do. But I'm not sure if I'm ready for this…"

"I can wait," Zeldin said, and Lisa nodded. She wondered if she made the right decision, but she couldn't do a relationship right now. So much trauma has afflicted her life, so much pain and suffering. First it was her parents, they died of the plague, and Lisa was left with her grandfather and baby brother. And now it's her that's dying, just not physically. "I promise you, that I will wait. And even if it doesn't seem like I'm waiting, I am." Zeldin said, and Lisa's heart just barely leapt out of her chest.

"How can you do that? I just met you," Lisa asked, and Zeldin smiled down at her.

"Let me tell you something. I've spent my entire life living like a ReDead up in that castle. I frequented taverns and brothels to feel alive, to get a rush. After escaping that castle, I had never felt such a thrill in my life, and now, looking at you, I've never felt such a gale of good emotions before. And I'm willing to wait to feel alive." Zeldin said, and rolled onto his back. "Think about it." He said, turning onto his side. "See you in the morning."

"Yeah…" Lisa said, and turned onto her side, so the two were back to back, and went to sleep.

When she awoke, Zeldin wasn't anywhere to be seen.

* * *

Whew! I feel like this chapter was fantastic. I really wanted Zeldin and Lisa's relationship to be a fairytale 'love at first sight' or more of 'love at first meeting' kind of thing. I think I did it really well.

Though, I just kind of think that the roles are really weird right now. Lisa's so submissive and insecure, but she's supposed to hold the Triforce of Courage. I guess she'll just have to work to become courage. And Zeldin... he's this playboy that can act like a gentleman, but he doesn't convey seem convey 'wisdom' very well, he really conveys understanding more. But I guess in some circumstances, understanding can be considered wisdom.

What do you guys think? :) I'd love to see your guys opinions. Ciao!


	4. Chapter 4: 'Neked'

"Huh?!" Lisa sat up, her dream now forgotten but still affecting her everything. The pain between her legs was now subsided, the blood had been washed from her legs, her dress was still tattered, and caked dirt covered one side of her face. "Well, I'm at a lake…" Lisa said, rolling her eyes, and literally tore off her clothes, running bare naked into the clean water of the lake, and bathing in its natural beauties. She ran her fingers through her hair, and massaged her feet, along with rubbing her arms and touching her nether regions. While she was looking down at herself, with soft and supple breasts, near unblemished skin, and now clean nails, she realized something. Even if she was impure, she was still beautiful. It was true, purity escapes the flesh and bone. Zeldin had imbued her with new life, and she planned on using it to her full extent.

Suddenly, Lisa realized that the playboy she remembered wasn't a dream and turned, expecting to see the playboy youth watching her bathe herself in the lake, but he was nowhere to be found on the green land surrounding her, and his horse, was still lying sleeping in the fields. This is how she knew something was wrong.

"Zeldin?" She called out, fearfully, and she longed for her friend, who made her feel safe and secure, and most of all, loved. "Zeldin where are you?" She started to look around frantically. "He said he'd see me in the morning. Where is he?" Lisa asked herself, and sank down in the water.

At that very moment, Zeldin's horse started to act up, kicking and rearing, something obviously spooked her. The horse came towards her, crashing into the water, kicking up lose dirt on the lake bed, and splashing water in Lisa's face. "Whoa there!" Lisa said, grabbing the loose reins, and pulling the horse down, trying to calm her. "What's got you so shook up girl?"

Little by little, Lisa got the horse to calm down, and before she knew it, the horse lowered itself so that Lisa could ride her easier. Lisa thought that the horse was only going to let her ride for a short while, but as it turned out, Lisa ended up leaving her entire campsite and only outfit far behind.

"Where are you taking me?!" Lisa asked the horse, in a rhetorical way, but the horse neighed back as if it understood what she said. They were now leaving Lake Hylia, and bounded through Hyrule Field. In the very far distance, she could both see Death Mountain, and her home town, Rose Shire. And what seemed like it would take over a day to travel through passed in mere hours. In a way, the scene was a bit funny: a bare naked girl racing on the back of a horse through Hyrule Field, hair flowing in the wind, bare breasts bouncing, and skin glistening. Okay, so maybe not as funny as Lisa thought. But still.

Finally, after a few hours of riding, the horse had lost most of its energy, and started walking up a steep path in between a two rocky cliffs. Lisa was curious as to where she end up, and for a few moments, watched in wonder as rays of the sun shone through the path way, plants growing on the cliff practically reaching towards their celestial caretaker. But as soon as she had entered the path, she had quickly exited, and found herself on a ranch, which Lisa assumed to be the horse's original home.

The two of them galloped through the first part of the ranch, which was a dirty old house and an extremely well taken care of barn. Lisa found it very ironic that it was the house that was falling apart, and not the barn- but the she thought that if this was a ranch, then the things that help them make their money must be well taken care of to function at prime conditions.

After passing the house, Lisa understood what had made this poor horse come back, for in front of them was a large gated pasture, with horses running about inside the gates, and around them. She noticed Cuccoos in the corner of the farm, near a cuccoo shed, and cows near a large silo. Pigs walked around freely, along with a few herding dogs, and a few cats.

But what truly caught her eye was the young man caring for the horse. He was tall, with short red hair, and bulging muscles. Though Lisa was only really noticing the muscles, she also noticed he wore a white shirt with a yellow hankerchief tied around his neck, and tan pants. At his waist was a utility belt, which probably held some tools to take care of the animals, along with some treats and a lasso. The boy was almost horribly stereotypical of the tradition cowboy, but Lisa liked it. And though he was missing a hat, he made up for in a southern accent.

"How may I help ya today?" He said, and turned to look at her, but when he took one look at her, he blushed and looked away. "Now I pray to the goddesses that that was just a trick o' the light, and ya aren't actually neked." He said, and Lisa remembered her predicament.

"Ah!" She yelled, and covered her breasts. "Sorry! I forgot!"

"What in the world are ya doin' completely neked on the back of a horse?!" He exclaimed.

"Funny story, haha," Lisa said nervously. "I kinda climbed on this horse after bathing in Lake Hylia earlier, and the horse just took off, my clothes are still back there."

"Are ya kiddin' me?!" He exclaimed once more. Lisa found it weird that he never looked up once. That's Southern decency right there.

"Sorry…" Lisa said.

"So you mean ta tell me that you've been ridin' this horse neked ever since ya left Lake Hylia?" The man asked.

"Yes sir," Lisa said. "If you could find me some clothes, I would be eternally grateful."

"Alright," he said, and grabbed the horse by it's reigns. "I've got another question for ya. Did'ja know that yer ridin' Epona, the prince's personal horse?"

"That's her name? I've been pondering that for hours." Lisa said.

After a very awkward hour explaining herself to the man, who introduced himself as Malone, and his aging mother named Tallione, Lisa found herself in some clothes for the first time that day. She was wearing Tallione's skirt, which was long and a creamy color, and a short sleeved pink blouse.

Tallione was very pretty for an older woman, with long red hair with light grey strands highlighting it. She was pale and very freckled, and was also very skinny. She spoke with a deeper voice, something you'd usually find in a bigger woman, but despite her frailness, that voice surprised and intimidated Lisa.

"Now, dear, you've explained ta us about how ya came to our ranch without a single shred of fabric on ya, how about ya explain how you came to train Epona, the prince's horse." She said, and Lisa gulped.

"Well, to explain that, I have to back to a day or two ago, I have no idea how long I've been passed out.

It was late at night and I had fled my home village, Rose Shire. I remember staring up at the moon, and before I knew it, some man on a horse had appeared in front of me. He told me to get on, and well, I did. Stupid decision, I know. Later, I found out that this man was Prince Zeldin in the flesh. We were at Lake Hylia, were he made camp. He explained that he fled the castle because of the fire, and found me. Next morning, he was gone." She said, and both Malone and Tallione shared a look.

"I'm sorry, but if there was a castle fire, we would have heard by now. In fact, we probably would have gotten a shipment of hurt animals." Malone said.

"And, if the prince had fled the castle, that kind of news would be made known to the entire kingdom within hours. News like that travels fast." Tallione said.

"So you don't believe me." Lisa said.

"Look, we're not accusing ya of anything, but ya have to admit that this story sounds ridiculous, considering that ya rode here completely neked." Malone said, crossing his arms.

Lisa began to say something, but shut her mouth. She was in their hospitality, so she shouldn't say anything to upset them, because if she did, she might end up outside, naked, and without a horse. So she decided to ignore the fact that they didn't believe her.

"So… can I help you out around here? Like cleaning and cooking? I need to pay you back for the clothes," Lisa said, and both Tallione and Malone shared yet another look. Except this time, it was pretty devious.

* * *

Ugh. I feel like I've lost it. I had such a wonderful style of writing! And then this chapter came along and BAM! It's gone.

Aaaaaand it's gone.

Anyway, I tried my best, and if you don't like it... weeeeeeeeelllll I don't care. XD

NOTE: Tallione is said like the word stallion, but without the 's'. Malone is said exactly how it looks.

Responses!

Ethereal780: Thank you so much for the compliment! I'm really glad to hear that from you. I really tried to make Zeldin and Lisa a match made in heaven. :p And it worked! So alls well that ends well!

LauParisi: HNNNNG. Your comments ALWAYS make my day. Obviously there was nothing romantic going on. WHAT'S GOING ON?! XD

Happy 4th of July everybody!

Stay tuned for the next chapter! It'll come out sometime. XD


End file.
